Sad stories, funny stories, warm stories, tragic stories - this collection is the very essence of the work of Australia's greatest storyteller.Alan Marshall has a place in the hearts of all Australians, for he wrote about his fellow country-people with a rare wit, humour, compassion and deep understanding.He spent his lifetime living among them in the bush and in the cities. He travelled throughout the countryside, recording them, yarning with them, entertaining them, loving them. No one since Henry Lawson knew and wrote about his countrypeople like Alan Marshall.Now, after his death, this remarkable book of stories stands as both a legacy and a tribute to Alan Marshall. Views: 29
When a tsunami hit a Spanish treasure galleon, all trace of a golden hoard greater than that of any pharaoh's vanished into history. Until NUMA agent DIRK PITT® dives into an ancient sacrificial pool far into the Andean jungle in order to rescue two archaeologists, and plunges into a vortex of corruption, betrayal, and death. A sinister crime syndicate has traced the long-lost treasure -- worth almost a billion dollars -- from the Andes to the banks of a hidden underground river flowing beneath a Mexican desert. Nothing will stop their ruthless and murderous drive to recover the gold. Nothing, that is, until Pitt and his team place themselves square in the path of danger....
From Publishers Weekly A chance rescue of two divers trapped in a Peruvian sinkhole leads series hero Dirk Pitt ( Raise the Titanic! ; Deep Six ) into a search for lost treasure that involves grave robbers, art thieves and ancient curses. Cussler's latest adventure novel features terrorists who aren ' t really terrorists and a respected archeologist who is not what he seems; it all boils down to a race between Pitt and some unscrupulous crooks for a cache of Inca gold hidden away from the Spanish and lost since the 16th century. The villains, a society of art and antiquity smugglers called the Solpemachaco , want to get their hands on the Golden Body Suit of Tiapollo, which contains in its hieroglyphics a description of the Inca treasure's hidden burial place. Pitt ends up searching for a jade box containing a quipu , an Inca silver-and-gold metalwork map to the treasure. The box was stolen from the Indians by the Spanish, stolen from the Spanish by Francis Drake and then lost in the South American jungle, but readers who know Pitt know that that a 400-year-old missing clue is only a minor obstacle. Master storyteller Cussler keeps the action spinning as he weaves a number of incredible plotlines and coincidences into a believable and gripping story. It's pure escapist adventure, with a wry touch of humor and a certain self-referential glee (Cussler himself makes a cameo appearance), but the entertainment value meets the gold standard. Views: 29
The first book in Perry's bestselling Victorian crime series, bringing together Inspector Thomas Pitt and Charlotte Ellison Panic and fear strike the Ellison household when one of their own falls prey to the Cater Street murderer. While Mrs. Ellison and her three daughters are out, their maid becomes the third victim of a killer who strangles young women with cheese wire, leaving their swollen-faced bodies on the dark streets of this genteel neighborhood. Inspector Pitt, assigned to the case, must break through the walls of upper-class society to get at the truth. His in-depth investigation gradually peels away the proper veneer of the elite world, exposing secrets and desires until suspicion becomes more frightening than truth. Outspoken Charlotte Ellison, struggling to remain within the confining boundaries of Victorian manners, has no trouble expressing herself to the irritating policeman. As their relationship shifts from antagonistic sparring to a romantic connection,... Views: 29
From Publishers WeeklyExpatriate Englishman Morris Duckworth, the conman, serial murderer and psychopath last seen in Juggling the Stars, is back, in the egregious effulgence of his evil and charmed life. What is a literary fellow like British author Parks (Europa) doing with a slime like Morris? Having fun, writing a wild and wacky thriller that's like sharing a roller-coaster ride with a suave maniac. Morris is an inspired mixture of loony self-regard and stupidity fueled by obtuseness. Having fatally dispatched Massamina (Mimi) Trevesan, the heiress he kidnapped in the first book, evaded the law and even ingratiated himself with Mimi's family, Morris is now married to her sister, the voraciously libidinous Paola. He's living in a luxury condominium in Verona, swanning around in his Mercedes and battling with his brother-in-law for control of the family wine company. What makes Morris so fascinating is his utterly amoral mindset. Far from suffering true guilt, Morris engages in consummate self-justification. He believes Mimi has forgiven him for her murder, which was merely a reaction "to extreme circumstances." Exhibiting unmistakable signs of schizophrenia, he "sees" Mimi and talks to her, often by car phone. It's Mimi, he thinks, who advises him to dispatch three new victims. Parks applies a wicked imagination to his ingenious plot, getting Morris into one farcically dangerous situation after another. One need not have read the first book to enjoy the frissons of suspense in this one, and readers will hope they haven't seen the last of Morris and his bizarrely lethal adventures. (Feb.) Forecast: It may be his very proflicacy (10 novels and three nonfiction books) that has kept Parks from establishing an identity on this side of the Atlantic. With the right breaks, this very funny novel could find a niche in the mode established by Elmore Leonard. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistA study of psychosis or a riveting ghost story? Just as scholars have debated this question in discussions of James' The Turn * of the Screw, so too may readers dissect Parks' latest mystery. The fortune-hunting Englishman, Morris Duckworth, misses his Italian Mimi, the great love of his life, an unfortunate development because he murdered her in a previous book and married her older sister, Paola. He can, strangely enough, clearly hear and see Mimi, taking solace in their telephone (cordless, of course) conversations as he awaits the death of her and Paolo's mother, a demise that will give him the 50 percent control of the family winery he has long desired. Hoping to finally earn genuine membership into the family that had spurned his courtship of Mimi, he views his brother-in-law Bobo's management of Trevisan Wineries as a mere detail to deal with once he's fully on board. Enter a flesh-and-blood "ghost" from the past that can implicate Morris in Mimi's death, and Parks' deeply dark humor unfurls as Morris takes Mimi's advice and commits yet another murder. Whitney ScottCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved* Views: 29
Love at first woof.When Denver-based Were blogger and founder of Honoring of Werewolf Legacy (HOWL) Kate Stillman agrees to take on political “bad boy” Duncan MacDowell in a public debate about werewolf segregation, she’s confident she'll sail through the challenge without letting down her guard.And what can go wrong while hanging out with the sexy Scottish founder of Werewolves Optimizing Our Future (WOOF) long enough to convince him his views on interspecies mating are mistaken? Plenty, when Kate discovers that she’s actually wildly attracted to her opponent—who by all accounts prefers dating human women!But what hope can there be when this irresistible werewolf-with-a-cause believes their future depends on Kate losing the argument?ReviewPraise for the Wild About You Series “Humorous and romantic.”—*USA Today* “Devour…Vicki Lewis Thompson’s books immediately.”—Fresh Fiction “[A] unique spin on the werewolf myth.”—The Romance DishAbout the AuthorA romance-writing career has brought Vicki Lewis Thompson many wonderful things—New York Times bestseller status, an appearance on Live with Regis and Kelly,the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award from Romance Writers of America, thousands of readers, many dear friends, and the cutest little yellow convertible in the world. Her career has also given her work she loves. Although she’s written more than a hundred books, she continues to be fascinated by the many ways that a man and a woman fall in love. The age-old story remains a challenging puzzle to be solved anew with each book. That makes her a very lucky person, indeed. Views: 29
For Jeremy, trying to be live a life outside of the "family business" isn't easy. First, there was the Thanksgiving dinner disaster of A MOBSTER'S GUIDE TO CRANBERRY SAUCE, followed by the Valentine's Day nightmare of A MOBSTER'S RECIPE FOR CUPCAKES. By now, you'd think he'd find somewhere to lay low when a holiday rolls around.Unfortunately for Jeremy, it appears St. Patrick's Day is going to be another trouble-filled holiday. His girlfriend Carla may be leaving him, his cupcake business is in danger of shutting down and his attempt to drown his troubles in green beer is being interrupted by Harry and Charlie, two of the most inept members of his family's employees.When the bartender's cousin shows up with "family business" of his own, Jeremy's pretty sure he's gotten himself in the middle of a situation that no four-leaf clover is going to fix. Can Jeremy survive another holiday, get his girl back and not be driven insane by Harry and Charlie?This is the third in Beth Mathison's MOBSTER humorous, short story crime series. Views: 29
Transform your life. Rewrite your destiny. In his most personal novel to date, internationally best-selling author Paulo Coelho returns with a remarkable journey of self-discovery. Like the main character in his much-beloved The Alchemist , Paulo is facing a grave crisis of faith. As he seeks a path of spiritual renewal and growth, he decides to begin again: to travel, to experiment, to reconnect with people and the landscapes around him. Transform your life. Rewrite your destiny. In his most personal novel to date, internationally best-selling author Paulo Coelho returns with a remarkable journey of self-discovery. Like the main character in his much-beloved The Alchemist, Paulo is facing a grave crisis of faith. As he seeks a path of spiritual renewal and growth, he decides to begin again: to travel, to experiment, to reconnect with people and the landscapes around him. Setting off to Africa, and then to Europe and Asia via the Trans-Siberian Railway, he initiates a journey to revitalize his energy and passion. Even so, he never expects to meet Hilal. A gifted young violinist, she is the woman Paulo loved five hundred years before—and the woman he betrayed in an act of cowardice so far-reaching that it prevents him from finding real happiness in this life. Together they will initiate a mystical voyage through time and space, traveling a path that teaches love, forgiveness, and the courage to overcome life’s inevitable challenges. Beautiful and inspiring, Aleph invites us to consider the meaning of our own personal journeys: Are we where we want to be, doing what we want to do? Views: 29
